Isover international Architectural Design Competition comes to UK

Saint-Gobain Isover has announced the launch of its 2012 Student Architectural Design Competition, which will include a national and international stage

The 2012 brief requires entrants to create a sustainable community living plan for around 12 to 15 families, located in Nottingham’s Trent Basin at the border between the city and the industrial zone. The development must be designed in accordance with Isover Multi-Comfort House principles, encompassing Passiv Haus components to create a sustainable neighbourhood.

The architecture of the development, which can also include urban space solutions for the immediate vicinity, must be sympathetic to the local surroundings and should also help breathe life into the existing urban area. Shortlisted UK finalists will be invited to showcase their work at Ecobuild 2012, with the winners going on to compete in the eighth international final, which takes place in Bratislava next May.

Helen Tunnicliffe, marketing manager for Saint-Gobain Isover, comments: ‘We are extremely pleased that this year’s competition brief will focus on Nottingham as this will enable us to demonstrate how the Multi-Comfort and Passivhaus concepts offer a viable solution for UK developers.’

The Isover Multi-Comfort House concept illustrates how energy use can be minimised and demonstrates how energy efficient living can be achieved both comfortably and economically. It builds on the Passivhaus principles, incorporating a focus on a number of key elements including thermal and acoustic comfort, high indoor air quality, exceptional environment and energy efficiency benefits and air tightness.

Saint-Gobain, the world leader in the habitat and construction markets, designs, manufactures and distributes building materials, providing innovative solutions to the challenges of growth, energy efficiency and environmental protection. With 2010 sales of €40.1 billion, Saint-Gobain operates in 64 countries and has nearly 190,000 employees.

In the UK and Ireland, some of the best known and respected companies in the construction industry are part of Saint-Gobain. Alongside Isover, these include British Gypsum, Solaglas, Weber, Saint-Gobain Glass, Saint-Gobain PAM, Pasquill, Ecophon and Saint-Gobain Solar. Together they offer a range of high performance energy-saving products and solutions to

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